1. Civil Society – A key to UNSCR 1540 Success
Irma Arguello
NPSGLobal Foundation – Vienna – Jan 2013

2. 1st Point:
Merits of
UNSCR 1540

3. UNSCR 1540 – Merits beyond any doubt
• Provides key elements to organize the whole global disarmament
and non-proliferation effort.
• Goes across different regimes and initiatives.
• Reaches the entire UN member states community.
• Scope far beyond potential risks related to non-state actors.
• Useful to prevent a wider picture of proliferation threats, for
example, covert programs in states.
• However faces challenges for successful
implementation.

4. 2nd Point:
Recognition of
Civil Society as a
key driver of 1540
success

5. UNSCR 1540 – Recognized roles
• Governments with primary responsibility on implementation
On behalf of states.
• Regimes and interstate organizations.
• UNSC  Committee Experts.
• Lack of a formally recognized role of Civil Society
concerning implementation…
• Summarizing… 1540: mainly a dialogue
between governments (states) and interstate
organizations (global, regional, sub-regional).

6. UNSCR 1540 – Roles
Despite of that…
Increasing
support of UNODA,
the 1540 Committee,
and other agencies.
…many organizations from the Civil Society have been continuously
working in many ways to facilitate successful implementation.

7. Outcomes of a 1540 Successful implementation
(as in any global security tool)
• Universality
• Every state develops awareness and understanding
• Every state accepts to participate and cooperate
• Every state consequently acts…
• States putting into practice the prescribed kit of measures:
• Appropriate (suitable or fitting for a particular purpose)
• Effective (adequate to accomplish a purpose, producing
the intended or expected result).

8. Civil Society can Complement Governments’ efforts
What Civil Society can offer for a successful implementation
GOVERNMENTS RELIABLE CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS
. Primary responsibility. • More specific focus and expertise.
• Policy setting. • Lighter/ cheaper structures.
• Final decision making. • Faster decision making.
• Enforcement capability. • Neutral perspective.
• Intelligence. • Less constraints to search out-of-the box
solutions.
• Broader influence.
• Continuity through successive
• Resources. administrations.
• International representation. • Ability to build
capacity
through
Governments can and international
should take advantage partnerships.

9. Civil Society action should go beyond advocacy and control
Practical interventions with potentiality to compensate governments’
shortfalls:
• Awareness raising.
• Effective communication.
• Supply of specific analytic work.
• Technical & political advice.
• Partnership with government for strategy setting and decision
making.
• Education & training programs for governments and societies.
• Facilitation of processes and relations among stakeholders
(national/ international).
• Identification of opportunities and resources.
• Design of paths for international cooperation.

10. Role of Civil Society
Independent organizations as pioneers, coordinators, and leverage agents
Public
Think tanks
Political parties Public
Think tanks
Political parties
Independent
organizations
Government Government
Independent
her organizations
C Organizations
Academia
Media Public
Media
Academia
Industry
UNSCR1540 Industry
Think tanks Political Committee
parties
Independent
Other
SC Organizations
organizations Government
Academia Media UNODA
Industry

11. 3rd Point:
Awareness and
understanding are
essential building
blocks of successful
implementation

12. Awareness and understanding of risks and global impacts, despite
of where events would take place, are helpful to neutralize:
• Doubts about 1540 relevance.
• Resistance to burdens typical of a mandatory system.
• Poor priority on policy and decision making or even rejection from states.
• Inertia to establish measures perceived as against their sovereignty.
. Suspicion about pressures of 1540 sponsors.
Also makes easier to:
• Setup broader national goals and strategies.
• Build the required capacity to implement.
• Go from reporting to positive action where
results can be accurately measured.
• Get required resources.
• Appreciate benefits of international cooperation.

13. Awareness and understanding help change the
perception about UNSCR 1540
From To
Necessary
Mandatory and
Convenient
As institutions from the Civil Society we
can do very much to raise awareness
and understanding, such action should
be one of our key priorities.

14. Civil Society Organizations - Ways of raising awareness
and understanding
• Analysis and communication of scenarios and impacts.
• Workshops with participants of different profiles.
• Meetings between government – other stakeholders.
• Priorities: political parties, opinion leaders, and media.
• Education efforts.
• Promotion of capacity development.
• Direct dialogue with governments
based on trust.

15. 4th Point:
Lines of Action
that could make a
big difference

16. Change of mindset is required
• A more relevant role of Civil Society relating to all aspects of implementation
can be a powerful key to UNSCR 1540 success.
• Members of Civil Society of today, can be government tomorrow, so that,
investment in capacity building, awareness, and understanding is crucial and
should be seen as a long term undertaking.
• Many governments are reluctant to work together with Civil Society on critical
issues, many are closed to receive any kind external aid (local or international).
Both attitudes involve a huge loss of opportunities.
• In this sense…

17. Proposed Lines
• The UNSC and the 1540 Committee should formally recognize a role for Civil
Society concerning implementation.
• It would be desirable that the Committee opens an accreditation system for
organizations from Civil Society with the purpose of recognizing their expertise
and of facilitating their positioning before governments.
• The Committee could suggest governments to work with accredited
organizations in order to compensate their shortfalls.
• Governments should reconsider the role of organizations
from Civil Society as reliable partners to work with.

18. Proposed Lines (cont.)
• Civil Society organizations interested in 1540 should use their comparative
advantages to facilitate a successful implementation.
• On ideal conditions there should be at least one Civil Society Organization giving
support to each state implementation.
• Regional models could be also promoted, as well as international networking
among organizations.
• Awareness raising about 1540 related issues
should be a priority for all involved organizations.

19. Final Thought:
Our work on raising awareness will be completed
only when…
becomes
as
publicly
recognized
as

21. Civil Society – A key for UNSCR 1540 Success
Irma Arguello - irmaar@npsglobal.org
NPSGLobal Foundation – Vienna – Jan 2013